Coronavirus: 2 Relatives Of Tablighi Jamaat Chief Test Positive In Saharanpur

Saharanpur, UP: Two relatives of the chief of Tablighi Jamaat in India, Maulana Saad, tested positive in Saharanpur of Uttar Pradesh. Test reports of nine others who are closely related to the Ameer of Jamaat are awaited and are likely to be received on Thursday.

The relatives of the Tablighi Jamaat chief, whose test results returned positive, are said to have denied visiting the Ijtemah or religious congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat in March at its international headquarters, Nizamuddin Markaz in the national capital. It is only when UP police questioned them that they admitted having been there. They told police officials that they did not reside at the Markaz and had stayed in a hotel in the Nizamuddin area.

Police have shifted the two coronavirus positive patients to a quarantine centre and have registered cases against them for concealing their travel history. Others also await similar fate if their test results turn out to be positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police are said to be aware of the whereabouts of Maulana who went into hiding on March 28 and are likely to arrest him after completion of his self-quarantine. He will be tested and taken into custody only if the results return negative.

The Tablighi Jamaat has come in for widespread criticism for organising a religious congregation at which thousands of followers of the order were present. Subsequently, many people who attended the Ijtemah or congregation at the Markaz, tested positive in various states.

The Centre released a list of more than 1900 foreigners who are said to have attended the Ijtemah at Nizamuddin Markaz in March. Some of them have been taken into custody in different states after completing their quarantine period on charges of violation of tourist visa norms. Some are still to be traced.